UPSC Prelims 2006 · General Studies
Question 91: International Relations and Current Affairs
Which one among the following was the first to legalize euthanasia?
AnswerThe answer is (a).
The Northern Territory of Australia passed the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in 1995; it came into force in July 1996 and was the first law in the world to permit voluntary euthanasia, though the Australian Parliament overturned it in 1997. The Netherlands legalised euthanasia in 2001 (in force from 2002), the first country to do so durably. Canada followed much later, in 2016.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) The key: the Northern Territory's 1996 law was the first to permit it.
- (b) New Zealand legalised assisted dying much later, in 2021.
- (c) The Netherlands legalised it in 2001, after the Northern Territory.
- (d) Canada legalised medical assistance in dying in 2016.
Worth knowing: Arguable: Australia's 1996 Northern Territory law was struck down in 1997, so the Netherlands (2001) is often called the first country to legalise it.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2006, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.